Laws by state
NSW pest species
Lantana camara
Lantana is a usually a dense shrub, although it can drop its leaves in dry times. It usually grows from 2 – 4 m high but can scramble up into trees. There are five main types with different flower colours: pink, red, orange, white and pink-edged red. Red lantana has pricklier stems and darker green leaves than pink lantana.
Camphor laurel
Camphor laurel is a highly invasive evergreen tree that has a tendency to form single species communities and exclude most other desirable native vegetation
Blackberry
Blackberry is a shrub with tangled, prickly stems. It can be hard to tell different Rubus species apart. Contact your local weeds officer for advice on identification.
Privet - broad-leaf
Broad-leaf privet is an evergreen shrub or tree with clusters of fragrant flowers and black fruit, which are poisonous to people. It outcompetes native plants and reduces yields in orchards, pastures and plantations.
African olive
African olive is a long-lived small tree or shrub with a dense canopy. It invades bushland and shades out native plants.
Morning glory - common
Common morning glory is climbing or scrambling vine with funnel shaped blue or bluish-purple flowers. It grows quickly and smothers other plants.
Madeira vine
Madeira vine is an invasive climbing vine with fleshy heart-shaped leaves and aerial tubers. It smothers other vegetation including the canopy of tall trees.
Crofton weed
Crofton weed is a rapid-spreading shrub. It is a nuisance in many areas along the eastern coast of Australia.
Willows
Willows are deciduous trees or shrubs that form large, dense root-mats on the surface of the soil or in shallow water and slow-moving streams. They invade thousands of kilometres of riverbanks and numerous wetlands in temperate Australia.
Pampas Grass
Pampas grass is a very tall, clumpy grass with fluffy flower heads. It competes with native vegetation and is a fire hazard.
QLD Pest species
African boxthorn
Native to southern Africa, African boxthorn is a spiny shrub introduced to Australia in the mid 1800s as a hedge plant. It has since spread to pastures, neglected areas, roadsides, railways and waterways. African boxthorn produces dense, spiny thickets that can form impenetrable barriers to stock and people.
Badhara bush
Native to Asia, badhara bush is a highly variable thorny shrub or small tree. It has been introduced as a cultivated ornamental to the world's warmer regions. Badhara bush forms dense thickets, reducing biodiversity and impeding stock movement.
Balloon vine
Native to the tropical Americas, West Indies and Africa, balloon vine is named for its fruits, which are inflated capsules with pointed tips. Balloon vine smothers native vegetation and prevents plants from receiving sunlight needed for photosynthesis. It is widespread in South East Queensland and northern New South Wales.
Blackberry
Native to Europe, blackberry is a woody perennial shrub with arched, thorny stems up to 7m long. Blackberry infestations form dense thickets that out-compete most other plants and provide food and shelter for pests such as rabbits and foxes. Blackberry plants are found all across Australia except in the Northern Territory.
Blue thunbergia
Native to India, blue thunbergia is a small, low vine with slender climbing stems. It can threaten remnant vegetation and degrade the banks of creeks and rivers. Blue thunbergia is found along coastal streams and rivers in North Queensland.
Golden bristle cactus
Native to northern Mexico, bunny ears cactus or golden bristle cactus is a dense shrub that is currently targeted for eradication in Queensland.
Captain cook tree
Captain Cook tree can invade native vegetation, threaten pasture, and is poisonous to animals and humans. Captain Cook tree has become a highly invasive weed in parts of Queensland.
Chinee apple
Chinee apple can create dense thickets that impede stock and affect pasture. It is widespread in North Queensland, mainly around areas associated with mining early last century.
Elephant ear vine
Native to Burma and India, elephant ear vine is a perennial woody vine that can smother trees. It has been recorded as an invasive plant in Hawaii and is reported to have naturalised in several countries. Elephant ear vine is commonly used as an ornamental garden plant. There is a risk that it may invade rainforests and open eucalypt woodland in Queensland.
Gorse
Native to Europe, gorse is a dense, thorny shrub that is now a major agricultural weed in Tasmania and parts of Victoria. Gorse is one of Australia's worst weeds because of its invasiveness, potential for spread, and economic and environmental impacts. Gorse thickets increase fire risk, provide shelter for pests, and dramatically reduce pasture stocking rates.
Please Read
Australia’s unique environment and plant industries rely on strict biosecurity and quarantine laws designed to prevent the spread of pests, diseases and contaminants that could devastate native ecosystems and agriculture. Under the Biosecurity Act 2015 and state based quarantine regulations, all sellers on LeafLoop are legally required to ensure that any plants, seeds or plant materials they sell are pest-free, soil-free and permitted for sale or transport across state borders. Even a single infected cutting or trace of soil can introduce harmful organisms such as myrtle rust, citrus canker or invasive weeds, causing irreversible damage to Australia’s biodiversity and economy. Sellers must always check their local and interstate biosecurity requirements available through state authorities like NSW DPI, Biosecurity Queensland, and Agriculture Victoria before listing or shipping plants. Non-compliance can result in confiscated goods, heavy fines, loss of listing privileges, or prosecution under federal law. By following proper hygiene, packaging and disclosure practices, sellers help protect Australia’s clean, green reputation, safeguard native flora and maintain the sustainability of our horticultural industries. At LeafLoop, we’re committed to promoting responsible selling so that every trade supports a safe, healthy and biosecure future for Australia’s growers and gardeners.